92-year-old Ralph Galindo waves goodbye to barber Gary Helseth at the barbershop that's been around for 45 years. Galindo, who lives around the corner, has been getting his haircut at Gary's for 32 years. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

1 of 17

Joe Morse shakes hands with barber Gary Helseth as he prepares to close his shop. Morse has been getting his haircut by Gary since he was 14 years old. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Barber Gary Helseth cuts Kent Bowers' hair at the Los Alamitos barbershop that's been around for 45 years. "I've been coming here for 34 years. My son had his first haircut here. Gary's been a friend for all these years. I'm gonna miss him," said Bowers. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

A lone fish remains on the wall of of Gary Helseth's barbershop in Los Alamitos. In preparation for his last day of business on Sunday, he took down the fishing and golf decor that had been a staple for many years. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

1 of 17

Barber Gary Helseth cuts Kent Bowers' hair on the last day of business for the Los Alamitos barbershop that's been around for 45 years. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Longtime customer Kent Bowers has his mustache trimmed by barber Gary Helseth Saturday. "I've been coming here for 34 years. My son had his first haircut here. Gary's been a friend for all these years. I'm gonna miss him," said Bowers. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

1 of 17

Ralph Galindo, 92, came to say goodbye to barber Gary Helseth at the barbershop that's been around for 45 years. Galindo, who lives around the corner, has been getting his haircut at Gary's for 32 years. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

It is a big number, a lot of years. So when I first learned of the story of Gary Helseth and his Los Alamitos barbershop, it both riled and saddened me.

On Thursday afternoon, I watched as his customers began walking in one by one – sometimes in pairs – to sit in Helseth's chair and let him do his work, something they had been doing for decades.

Bald men came. Some with just a rumor of hair ringing the bottom half of their heads sat and waited, too. It was, quite simply, their own personal way of paying tribute to a man who was not only their barber, but who over the years had become their friend, their confidant.

The place has been stripped bare now. The man's stuffed trophy fish that once lined the walls have been put away, as have the framed bag tags from the golf courses he and his wife, Louise, have played. A couple of bottles of shampoo, though, still sit on a shelf.

They are going to knock down Gary's Barber Stylists on Ball Road, which has been doing business there since 1968, plus the entire strip mall in which it sits in the coming months. In its place, they are going to erect a new bank.

"It's time," Gary Helseth, 72, told me. "I wanted another year, wanted to go out on my own terms instead of theirs. It didn't happen that way. It's been long enough."

The men kept coming, as did Louise and their daughters, Kelly 55, and Karry, 53. The mayor of Los Alamitos, also a longtime customer, was due at any minute. They all sat around the shop and reminisced.

Helseth bought the business in 1968 from Sam Howell, who'd given him a job straight out of barber college. Helseth had been a painter for a pool company until 1967 when he was laid off. A friend persuaded him to try barbering.

"As long as he had a job, that was OK by me," Louise said.

It cost $1.50 for a haircut in those early days, Helseth recalled. It was also a time of great upheaval in the business. Long hair was the fashion. Who needed a barber? Gary Helseth got his license and sold real estate with Louise to get through those times.

The couple's four children were his haircutting "guinea pigs," he remembered. He needed the practice, so the girls all wore pixies in those days. The "Gary Junior," so named for the cut he gave his son, remains a staple to this day.

"We were, I guess, all willing participants back then," Karry said. "But I will tell you, I haven't had more than a basic trim in more than 30 years."

Gary Helseth figures he has cut hair for at least four generations of Los Alamitos men. This includes mayors, police chiefs and untold members of Los Alamitos High sports teams.

"Ages 2 to 92," he says when asked who are his typical customers. He thinks about it for a while and soon remembers a story.

"The youngest I ever had was this little guy. He was 7 weeks old. He'd come out with a head full of hair. So his great-grandfather brings him, holds him in his arms while I go to work. The baby is fast asleep. Never woke up."

Mayor Warren Kusumoto arrives and presents Helseth with a Certificate of Recognition proclamation from the City Council that praises his 45 years in the city. The mayor has been a customer for 15 years. He consoles Helseth for a few moments and tells him that he has been a tremendous asset to the community.

"It's the end of an era," Kusumoto tells me when I ask if turning the barbershop into a Chase Bank is a good thing for Los Alamitos. He hesitates some.

"Unfortunately, it's progress," he says. "Is it a bad thing? It depends."

Twins Grill, the large burger joint at Ball Road and Bloomfield Avenue, served its last meal on Wednesday. Proprietors of the other shops in the mall were hauling out furniture and other items that afternoon. Helseth will close for good today.

He once had three barbers working for him. He has only one now, Mel Law, who says he's found a new shop in Long Beach. Helseth for a time considered maybe opening up elsewhere, but says he quickly realized doing so would cost him $20,000 to $30,000 to do so. Even if the cost wasn't a factor, he says, it would never be the same.

He will continue renewing his license, he said. He will still go to various hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities where some of his longtime customers now reside.

Beyond that, Gary Helseth says he has no idea of what he will do next.

"He won't be bored," daughter Karry says.

"I think he'll still cut hair part time," Kelly says.

The barber looks up from his customer's head, and shakes his head slowly.

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.